Mt. Omuro’s Sengen Shrine
The Izu Peninsula’s Mt. Omuro is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Japan’s Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.
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Izu Culture
Visit a Japanese Village
Everything about Japanese culture can be traced back to its rural villages. Japanese language, behavior, rituals, and diet can be traced back to a small village tucked away in a remote mountain valley.
How can that be? Let’s look at one lesson from language.
One of the first words a foreigner learns when studying Japanese is “gaijin,” 外人 which means ‘outsider.’ The more polite and socially accepted version of this word is “gaikokujin,” 外国人 which means ‘person from a foreign country.’ The word “gaijin” is strongly connected to the important concepts of “uchi” 内 and “soto” 外 in Japanese.
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The Unique History of Ito
Itō has been inhabited since the Jōmon period – roughly 13,000-300 B.C. This era coincides with the Stone Age. The hunter-gatherer Jōmon people are believed to have entered Japan via the Japan Sea and the northern archipelago. They occupied northeastern Japan, and Izu was at the far western boundaries of their range. Archaeological digs here in Itō have produced artifacts from that time including primitive tools and pottery.
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Tale of the Soga Brothers
Soga Monogatari (The Soga Story) is one of Kabuki theater’s three most famous plays. The play is an interpretation of events that began here in Izu during the 12th century.
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Setsubun Day
Today is Setsubun in Japan. It is one of several very old traditions imported from Chinese culture and based on the lunar calendar.
In the West, spring is associated with the vernal equinox (March 21), and rituals in European countries generally take place in early April. In Japan, the beginning of February is seen as the start of a transition from winter to spring. It is a time when the seasonal responsibilities of numerous gods start to shift, and they get restless and move around. To prevent gods of bad luck from wandering into the house, people developed a protective ritual called mamemaki (mah-may-mah-kee) or bean sowing.
The Red Cow of Fukusenji
The Red Cow of Ike: The tale of a shape shifting murderous dragon lord.
Ike is a small, quiet community with two Shinto shrines and a single Buddhist temple. Ryukeiin was built 500 years ago, when it replaced an even older temple that was haunted by a murderous red cow.
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Who was Miura Anjin?
Itō’s biggest festival is called Anjin sai and it celebrates the life and accomplishments of Miura Anjin (William Adams). Dancing, a taiko drumming competition and a fireworks show featuring more than 10,000 fireworks are highlights of the festival held in August every year.
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Tale of the Kōgitsune (baby fox)
In the Totari (十足) valley, just north of Mt. Ōmuro, there is a Buddhist temple by the name of Ryūnji (龍雲寺). In a prominent location just outside the main entrance to the temple, there is a Shinto shrine called Kōsu Inari.
Why is there a Shinto shrine inside the grounds of a Buddhist temple?
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Lingua Franca – Jogasaki Museum
Behind the Izu Kogen train station, on the other side of the tracks, is one of the area’s many unique museums. The Jogasaki Cultural Museum is a place to learn about Izu history and culture, view art exhibitions, collaborate with artists, and mingle over coffee.
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Izu and Hawaii
One of the things I noticed when I first moved to Izu is that people are nuts about anything Hawaiian. While the same can be said about Japanese people in general, I didn’t see as many expressions of Hawaii love when I lived in Tokyo.